Dispensing device



March 30, 1965 E. H. TYTE DISPENSING DEVICE Filed D80. 27, 1962 FIG. 3

IN VENTOR.

ErnesfHeng Uf BY W can 3% azwzzi nited States This invention comprises a new and improved dispensing device for displaying in stacked formation and delivering in turn articles of manufacture such as safety razor sets or packages of blades. The device is particularly useful when located upon the counter or cash register of the retailer in attracting favorable notice of customers and in facilitating the delivery of articles one by one from one or more stacks thereof.

With such objects in view important features of the device comprise a magazine constructed and arranged for supporting a stack of articles in unobstructed view and in such a manner that they are fed by gravity toward a delivery station at the lower end of the magazine. in combination with the magazine is provided deflecting means at or near its lower end that are effective to twist each article about the longitudinal axis of the magazine as the article passes out of its control. In this way the delivered article is twisted relative to the rest of the stack so that gripping and withdrawal of the article is facilitated.

The precise construction of the deflecting means is of secondary importance but as herein shown cooperating plates or blades may be employed presenting for that purpose obliquely inclined edges located beneath the delivery end of the magazine.

In order that the improved distributing device may have ample capacity it may include in its structure two or more magazines and these may be of the same or different widths to accommodate articles of different size or shape. In this aspect the improved dispensing device is herein shown as including a base or platform having a series of tubular vertical magazines supported or suspended at a predetermined height above the base and cooperating deflectors interposed between the lower end of the magazines and the surface of the base upon which the articles rest as they are delivered from the magazines.

These and other features of the invention are best understood and appreciated from the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof selected for purposes of illustration and shown .in the accompanying drawings in WhlCh FIG. 1 is a view in perspective of the complete device,

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view on the line 22 of FIG. 1, and

FIG. 3 is a view in side elevation.

The device as herein shown comprises a flat horizontal base of rectangular outline which is provided with a slightly elevated platform 11 in its intermediate section. Upright end members 12 are secured to the base and these are connected at their upper end by a facade 13 for the display of advertising or price information. The top of the device behind the facade is otherwise open. A fixed cross bar 14 extends between the end members 12 and to this is attached a series of spaced channel bars 15 which form between them vertical magazines. These magazines terminate at their lower ends at a distance above the platform 11 or the base somewhat greater than the height of a single one of the packages contained therein, that is to say, the individual magazines are sus pended from the cross bar 14 at a predetermined height in the device. The stack rests in position upon the lowermost package which in turn rests upon the platform 11 or base iii.

" atent 3,175,729 Patented Mar. 30, 1965 The device is shown herein as having six vertical magazines of which the two end magazines are somewhat Wider than the four intermediate magazines. The intermediate magazines are designed to receive and dispense rectangular blade packages A while the two end magazines are designed to receive and dispense somewhat larger packages B which may contain a greater number of blades or a safety razor set. The end members 12 have vertical channel sections which cooperate with channel bars 15 in forming the two outer magazines. The magazines may be conveniently loaded from the open top of the device and hold the packages in vertical stack formation meantime allowing them to pass freely downwardly by gravity as the lowermost package A is removed and passes out of control of the magazine at the lower end thereof.

Beneath and in line with each magazine are located front and rear upright plates 16 which serve as an extension for the magazine. The upright plates merge into right angle deflector plates 17 presenting forwardly or rearwardly inclined edges and these are effective to twist each package A or B through an angle of about 45 as the package is delivered from the lower end of the magazine. As shown in FIG. 1 one package has been delivered from each magazine and the package has been twisted to bring one end forwardly, while the stacked packages remaining in the magazine are supported by the intermediate portion of the delivered package. It will be understood that when the package is gripped and removed from the device the next succeeding package in the magazine will immediately drop down and take its place in twisted position.

Each upright plate 16 is formed with a right angled deflector 17 as above stated and these deflectors are oppositely located with respect to each other so that a package is engaged at its opposite ends by the inclined edges which slope in opposite directions and so cooperate in imparting the desired twist to the delivered package. The point or apex of each deflector 17 is located at a distance elow the channel bars equal to more than the depth of one package.

The channel bars 15 of each magazine extend rearwardly as shown in FIG. 2 and terminate in inturned flanges 18 which in effect define supplementary reservoirs at the back of the device. These are each provided with a notched floor formed in the cross bar 14 and may be used to store an ample supply of packages A or B for replenishment of the magazines.

The channel bars 15 are provided with double vertical flanges 22 at the rear of each magazine and if desired panels 19 may he slipped into these flanges in such manner as to form solid back partitions for each magazine.

The device as a whole may be provided with a transparent elongated cover 20 herein shown as resting upon the base It) and enclosing the entire delivery space at the lower ends of the magazines. This cover may be removed to permit reaching any package resting upon the platform 11 or the base 16. The device may be provided with a base fitting 21 which allows it to be supported upon the top of the retailers cash register. Conveniently the components of the device, except for the fitting 21, may be molded of synthetic resinous material such as polystyrene. Since it contains no moving parts it is simple to manufacture, and requires no attention in long continued use.

Having thus disclosed my invention and described an illustrative embodiment thereof I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. A device for displaying and dispensing articles of merchandise, comprising a fiat base, a cross partition disposed above the base, a series of tubular magazines sus- 3 pended above the base extending upwardly from said partition and terminating in open space at their lower end at a distance from said base at least equal to the height of an article contained in the magazine, a deflecting plate on the base beneath each magazine, and an auxiliary magazine formed in part by the said cross partition.

2. A device for displaying and dispensing articles of merchandise, comprising a fiat base, a tubular magazine suspended above the base, and deflecting means located beneath the magazine and including a pair of oflset spaced plates serving as an extension of the magazine and a second pair of spaced plates at right angles to said first named plates presenting oblique deflecting edges sloping in opposite directions and cooperating to twist one article after another as delivered from the magazine.

3. A device for dispensing rectangular packages of a known size, comprising a horizontal platform, a pair of vertical, channel section side members open at their upper and lower ends, and spaced above the said platform by a distance equal to more than the depth of one package but less than the depth of two, the said members being adapted to engage opposite end portions of each package to prevent the packages from turning about a vertical axis, a pair of offset spaced vertically disposed plates on said platform serving as an extension of said magazine, and a pair of spaced, vertically disposed triangular plates on said platform fixed one below each side member at right angles to said first named plates, each triangular plate having a sloping edge which slopes downwardly to join the platform from a point positioned directly in the path of a package dropping through the lower ends of side members, one edge sloping forwardly of the side members and the other rearwardly, the said point on each said edge being at a distance below the side members equal to more than the depth of one package, whereby a package dropping past the lower ends of the side members will first clear the lower ends of the said members, and then engage the said edges at the said points and thereby be deflected so as to come to rest on the platform having been twisted about a vertical axis relative to the magazine.

4. A dispensing device comprising a platform, a cross partition above said platform, a pair of parallel flanged members extending upwardly from said cross partition defining a pair of back to back magazines open at their upper ends, one of said magazines terminating at its lower end in open space above said platform and serving as a dispensing magazine, the other of said magazines terminating at said cross bar and serving as a storage reservoir for articles to be dispensed from said dispensing magazine.

5. A dispensing device comprising a platform, a cross partition above said platform, and a pair of back to back tubular magazines extending upwardly from said cross partition and being open at their upper ends, one of said magazines having an open unloading exit at its lower end and serving as dispensing magazine, the other of said magazines terminating at said cross partition and serving as an auxiliary storage reservoir for articles supported on said cross partition.

6. A dispensing device comprising a platform, upright end members, a cross bar connecting the end members partway from the bottom thereof, a facade member connecting the upper ends of the end members, a vertically disposed dispensing magazine defined between two parallel channel members extending upwardly from said cross bar and terminating at both ends in open space, the 101(0111 end of said magazine being spaced from said platform, means on said platform unconnected with said channel members for twisting successive articles held in the magazine as they fall by gravity therefrom, a vertically disposed auxiliary magazine behind said dispensing magazine defined between said channel members and terminating at said cross bar at its lower end for holding a supply of articles to be dispensed supported on saidcross bar.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,419,375 Hall June 13, 1922 1,782,597 Blackman Nov. 25, 1930 2,425,560 Purdy Aug. 12, 1947 3,010,606 Heselor Nov. 28, 1961 

1. A DEVICE FOR DISPLAYING AND DISPENSING ARTICLES OF MERCHANDISE, COMPRISING A FLAT BASE, A CROSS PARTITION DISPOSED ABOVE THE BASE, A SERIES OF TUBULAR MAGAZINES SUSPENDED ABOVE THE BASE EXTENDING UPWARDLY FROM SAID PARTITION AND TERMINATING IN OPEN SPACE AT THEIR LOWER END AT A DISTANCE FROM SAID BASE AT LEAST EQUAL TO THE HEIGHT OF AN ARTICLE CONTAINED IN THE MAGAZINE, A DEFLECTING PLATE ON THE BASE BENEATH EACH MAGAZINE, AND AN AUXILIARY MAGAZINE FORMED IN PART BY THE SAID CROSS PARTITION. 